(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Few people in Canada support a government proposal to increase the number of seats in the lower house of Parliament from 308 to 338, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 17 per cent of respondents think this would be beneficial for Canada, whereas 31 per cent say it would be detrimental.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Few people in Canada support a government proposal to increase the number of seats in the lower house of Parliament from 308 to 338, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 17 per cent of respondents think this would be beneficial for Canada, whereas 31 per cent say it would be detrimental.
Canadians renewed the House of Commons in October 2008. The Conservative party—led by Stephen Harper—received 37.6 per cent of the vote, and secured 143 seats in the 308-member lower house. Harper assembled a minority administration. The Tories also earned a minority mandate after the 2006 election, ending more than 12 years of government by the Liberal party.
The Harper government has introduced legislation seeking to increase the number of seats in the House of Commons. Under the plan, the province of Ontario would get 18 new mandates, British Columbia would get seven, and Alberta would get five.
On Apr. 1, Canadian democratic reform minister Steven Fletcher defended the government’s bill saying that more populated provinces should have more seats, and adding, "Canadians deserve better. Our government deeply believes that each vote in Canadian elections should carry equal weight to the greatest extent possible."
Polling Data
Do you think having more MPs in the House of Commons will be good for Canada or bad for Canada?
|
Good for Canada
|
17%
|
|
Bad for Canada
|
31%
|
|
It will have no effect
|
31%
|
|
Not sure
|
21%
|
Source: Angus Reid Public Opinion
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,006 Canadian adults, conducted on Apr. 6 and Apr. 7, 2010. Margin of error is 2.2 per cent.
